Biomimetic bone-vessel interface-on-a-chip for simulating periodontal physiological and pathological microenvironment

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Oral Biology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Periodontitis causes bone loss and tooth loss.
• Periodontitis can lead to systemic diseases via circulation.
• Endothelial cells are crucial in disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a microfluidic bone-vessel interface-on-a-chip.
• To simulate the inflammatory microenvironment of periodontitis.
• To investigate the impact of periodontitis on vascular and bone tissues.

Main Methods:

• Co-culture of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on a chip.
• Introduction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis and TNF-α to induce inflammation.
• Assessment of endothelial barrier function, cell adhesion, and bone marker expression.

Main Results:

• The chip successfully cultured hBMSCs and HUVECs, forming a functional vascular barrier.
• Inflammatory conditions disrupted endothelial cell junctions and increased monocyte adhesion.
• Bone formation markers were reduced under inflammatory conditions.

Conclusions:

• The bone-vessel interface-on-a-chip effectively models periodontitis-induced inflammation.
• This platform can study the effects of periodontitis on vascular and bone tissues.
• It offers a new avenue for developing targeted therapies for inflammatory diseases.